Barossa Valley Wines

This is stately, noble red wine that deserves respect. It comes from one of the most lauded and awarded families in wine and shows off a blend that is uniquely Australian. It exudes a regionality that is unquestionably Barossa thanks to its bold signature of black fruits, spice and licorice. On the palate it’s like a cascading stream of black fruits with a firm tannin structure and notes of cedar and oak. A wine that drinks well on its own, but works even better with food. Watch Cracka's Yalumba Shiraz Cabernet Video Review

One of Yalumba’s pioneereing moves in the last few years has been the pursuit of single vineyard wines and this Barossa beauty comes from the Lyndoch sub-region. It’s all you expect from a rich and regional Shiraz displaying plum and black cherry fruit as well as violets and a hint of vanillin oak. Texture is key, the wine oozes with grace and power. Concentrated yet elegant, this will have your guests swooning for more.

It's always amazing that more people don't drink good Braossan Grenache when they can be as sexy as this. A single vineyard Grenache from a special site, this earthen and juicy - yet medium bodied - red is just full of classic Grenache style, with that beautiful ripe red fruit character that makes the variety so damn drinkable.

This is big ticket stuff, the kind of wine that is not just for an occasion, it is the occasion. Yalumba remind us once again why they so famed for crafting wine from the Barossa region that is so expressive. This is full of intrigue and excitement lots of black fruit, mocha and licorice before a powerful palate that is dense and concentrated. Multi-layered and long, it seamlessly glides across the palate with well-measured tannins and acids. Make sure you get something like a steak or leg of lamb for this.

There’s quite a story behind the signature, every year since its inception a member of Yalumba staff, who has made an immense contribution, has been asked to pen their signature whereupon it is immortalized on the label. The combination of Cabernet and Shiraz from the Barossa has resulted in an iconic style of wine that is full bodied and integrated with American oak. This is a wine for the cellar, it has a great future ahead of it but if you have no patience make sure you pair it with a fine cut of steak. Watch Cracka's Yalumba Shiraz Cabernet Video Review

Now the Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate, it’s appropriate that Kilikanoon name this powerful Shiraz the Greens Reserve. While this wine is powerful in its own right, it probably won’t please Bob Brown’s palate, or any other tree hugger for that matter. That’s because it’s matured entirely in new oak barrels, which means a lot of trees were sacrificed in the making of it. But the wood is good, as it adds complex smoky oak characters to the spicy plum flavours. It’s built to last in the cellar, so you can hide away from your ‘green’ friends and pull it out when you feel like a hearty steak.

From a particularly dry vintage in South Australia, this full bodied and powerful Grange is something of a closed beast, a firm and extractive wine with serious concentration and intensity. Long term wine, no question about it.

Epic. Huge. Voluptuous. Rich. Decadent. All of these words correctly describe one thing - this wine. A wine with an almost mythical reputation for excess, excessive flavours and hedonism on steroids. Crafted from some super Barossa Valley fruit this is a seriously intense Barossan red that is amazingly intense but also divisively OTT.

You’ve seen the Final Cut Shiraz Cabernet and loved it. Well here we have the straight Shiraz from our friends at Final Cut – big, bold, beefy South Australian Shiraz coming from Limestone Coast and the Barossa Valley. With loads of ripe mulberry fruit in a mouthfilling package with some good structure behind it this is Australian Shiraz the way we like it.

If you think of the Barossa what’s the first variety, you think of? If you guessed Sauvignon Blanc go back to wine school, for the rest of you who correctly guessed Shiraz, then we have an absolute ripper from Ross Estate. This needs great hunks of meat to harmonise with the intensity of this well-structured Shiraz. It tastes of plums and black fruits with spicy oak adding detail as well as chocolate and toasty notes. This is seamless and balanced with all the trademarks of Barossa generosity.

What does Reserve mean? Is it a fancy name the winery can slap on the label and then charge you three times the price? No, of course not. Reserve means it’s been made with the utmost care, hand picked fruit, maybe even hand pressed and then stored in fancy French oak so the wine can soak up the luxuriant flavours. Tim Smith’s Reserve Shiraz tastes like it’s had a huge amount of TLC. It’s got cherry fruit vibrancy, cedary oak and plush mouthfeel.

Bethany is the quintessential old school Barossa winery with a proud history of over 150 years and this stunning Riesling highlights their German heritage. It’s got a slight sweetness that we think would pair superbly with Asian foods and has a captivating citrus core that makes way for a clean acid finish. Balanced and soft, a chilled glass of this is the perfect way to start a meal.

Arrgh! Kilikanoon’s ‘R’ Reserve Barossa Shiraz is a fine wine to be sure and the perfect tipple for pirates that have grown tired of rum. Rumour has it that the R is Captain Jack Sparrow’s favouite drink. This may explain why it’s rare in foreign markets, because Sparrow loves nothing more commandeering the ships and plundering their bounty of ‘arrgh’. He loves this intense red and its bounty of blackcurrant flavours. This wine is a must for all pirates and wenches on “Talk like pirates day”.

It’s dark and brooding and it’s been planted in Australia for over a century. It’s got a few names too, Mourvedre, Mataro or Monastrell it’s all the same grape which causes no end of confusion. If you want a red that’s savoury and spectacular you’ve come to the right place and many winemakers in the region are championing it at as the next big thing. The nose is quite savoury and exotic showing Chinese five spice, violets, dark cherry and spice before a layered palate of dark fruit and mouth-coating tannins.

The Tomfoolery philosophy is all about having fun and that’s what we think the wine industry should have more of. It’s all about two Barossa mates, who in 2004 found themselves with a tonne of Shiraz fruit. That was the first release of this Artful Dodger Shiraz. Sourced from 80-year-old vines this Shiraz is a masterful interpretation of the region. It shows plum, dark cherry, toast oak and then a smorgasbord of spice and licorice. This is a well-balanced Shiraz that carries its fruit and tannin seamlessly. It deserves your attention and a well-cooked piece of steak.

Tomfoolery wines do not take themselves too seriously. It’s just a couple of mates from the Barossa making the best wine they can. However, alongside the fun they have managed to make some very serious wine like this straight Cabernet Franc. It might be labelled Monkey Business but you’ll feel like a chimp if you miss out on this fascinating red. Dark berry and fruitcake aromas jump out the glass before a textured mouthfeel of blackcurrant and some savoury expression that leads to a long, yet seamless tannin finish.

The main red variety of the Barossa may be Shiraz but hot on its tail is Grenache and we could think of no better example than the Turkey Flat. We love a wine that shows the richness of the style with added juicy fruit generosity. A wine to savour with a long lazy Sunday lunch, it shows impeccable structure and seductive notes of spice. This definitely needs charred meat to complement its gutsy profile of plum and raspberry.

It does not get more authentic than Barossa Shiraz and Turkey Flat can claim some of the oldest vineyards in the region, dating back to 1847. That’s some serious vine age and you’ll be bowled over by the regional authenticity on offer here. This is structured and serious, a wine to lose your senses in with a dominance of blackberries and spice, supporting cedary oak. This is dinner party territory with a fine rib eye steak or a platter of mature cheeses.

We’ve all heard of Yalumba’s Signature blend of Cabernet and Shiraz but the scribbler is a kind of premature signature if you like. Same blend but ready to drink now and perhaps without the concentration. It’s a fabulous rendition of Barossa wine showing generous fruit from the Shiraz and tremendous structure from the Cabernet. We could think of no better wine to pair with a lamb roast. Watch Cracka's Yalumba Shiraz Cabernet Video Review

The Amelie is a silken and seductive vixen, a well-proportioned and curvaceous wine that demands you spend a night discovering her wily charms. It’s been crafted by winemaker Corey Ryan, who has taken the best quality Eden Valley fruit and created a modern Shiraz you’ll just love. Take in its dark fruit perfume that’s underpinned by vanilla and spice before a silky palate of cassis and other red fruits that are blanketed by soft, tantalising tannins.